Note: I'm sorry this took so long; I said I'd have another chapter out a while ago but I found no desire to write. I didn't have much more makeup work to do but I got barely any reviews on the last chapter so I was in no rush to write another. But, I'm sure people still read, even if they don't click the little review button. Thanks to you, and to everyone who did leave a review. For my story's purpose, Ellie is still alive.

The only thing that Brooke was sure of at this moment was that Lucas needed her to be strong for him. She wasn't sure he'd be able to play basketball anymore, she wasn't sure he would be allowed. Lucas' dream is to play basketball and it would make him happy to be able to continue that so Brooke hoped for the best. After all, the odds are in his favor. Outside the door to Luke's room, a circle of people had formed. Karen and Keith, Nathan and Haley, Peyton and Ellie, each group was paired, waiting for Brooke to get out of the room so they could each attempt at dragging her home. Everyone had said their good lucks to Lucas, everyone that is, except Brooke. When her turn came to bid him luck and send him off to surgery, she'd quickly headed into the room, shutting the door behind her. Most of them had taken a mere 10 minutes but Brooke, she was already pushing a half an hour.

The two were lying in bed; Lucas had moved over and practically pulled her down next to him, claiming he wanted to hold her one last time before they'd be separated for a few days. Who was she to protest? His arm was around her, his hand in her hair. Their faces were close, close enough that Lucas could feel her breathing. Her arm was draped lightly over his torso, holding onto him softly; her body barely pressed against his, yet enough for them to feel each others body. Her head was leaning up so they could look into each others eyes, "But basketball makes you happy. I love when you brood, you get all cute but I don't want you brooding 24 hours a day because you can't play anymore."

"Brooke, basketball isn't the only thing that makes me happy," Lucas told her with a smile, his hand slipping through her hair, then moving back up to the top of her head to brush his fingers through it again. "You make me happy, being with you is enough."

Brooke smiled, "But-"

"No buts. We're happy together. You make me smile more than a game of basketball could. Besides, kissing a basketball wouldn't be nearly as much fun as kissing you," Lucas leaned up a little and placed a kiss on her forehead, "I'll be okay Brooke. With or without basketball, as long as I have you, I'm happy."

Brooke kissed him softly, "Well you come out of surgery safe and sound okay? You've got me... and our baby to live for now."

Lucas looked to her stomach and nodded, "I wonder what it'll look like."

Brooke smiled slightly, "She will be gorgeous. I mean with parents like us, the odds are in her favor."

"A girl eh?" Lucas asked, "How do you figure?"

Brooke shrugged, "I always pictured me having a girl before I have a son."

Lucas nodded, "I had a dream last night. You'd just given birth to our child. The baby was a girl, but the funny thing was, a little while into the dream, another girl is brought into the room."

"Twins? Oh, Luke, I don't think so."

"No, not twins, another little girl came in the room. She was young, she called you mommy."

"Don't start planning out second child," Brooke said with a laugh.

Lucas laughed, "No, one's sufficient for now." His hand left her hair, running it down her arm, then back up to her cheek. He pulled her head down to his and kissed her. Brooke kissed him back gently, keeping her weight off of him so she wouldn't hurt him. The two remained like that for a few minutes before Brooke ended their kiss before it got out of hand, "Hey. There will be plenty of time for that when you get out of surgery."

Lucas nodded, "4 days of no Brooke. What am I going to do with all the quiet?"

Brooke lightly smacked his head, "Jerk. You'll miss me."

"Of course I will," Lucas replied kissing her forehead again. "You should go home. The sooner they take me into surgery, the sooner I see you again."

Brooke shook her head, "I don't want to leave you." Her smile faded, tears welling in her eyes.

"No. Brooke, come on. Cheery doesn't cry," Lucas tried softly.

Brooke nodded and held back her tears, "Nope, no crying. I'll see you as soon as I can okay?"

"Okay. Now go home, get some sleep, make sure my mom doesn't worry about me too much, and tell her I love her," Lucas told Brooke, taking her hand in his.

"That'll be hard when I will be worrying too. And I'm not leaving. I'll sit in the waiting room if I have to. I'll be the first one to see you when they'll allow you visitors," Brooke told him, not even thinking about what she was saying.

Lucas shook his head but didn't answer her, "Love you Brooke."

"Love you too Luke," she kissed him on the forehead, then the nose, then his lips before she carefully climbed out of his arms and the bed. She rose to her feet, blew him a kiss and exited the room.

By then it had been 45 minutes of everyone waiting outside the door for her. Brooke shut his door behind her and looked up at Karen with tears in her eyes, "He says not to worry and he loves you." An arm was placed around her shoulders, "He'll be okay Brooke." She looked up, it was Peyton. Brooke leaned her head against her best friends shoulder but didn't reply. Peyton wrapped her other arm around Brooke and held her against her, "It'll be okay. Let me bring you home."

Brooke shook her head, "I'm not leaving him."

"Brooke, he needs you to be strong. You need to sleep, you look like crap," Peyton told her honestly.

"I'm going to stay here a little longer Brooke, "Karen told her.

Brooke nodded, "I don't want to go."

Karen placed her hand on her stomach, silently signaling the baby would suffer from that, she was being cryptic, unsure of whether Brooke had told anyone else, "He needs you to take care of yourself."

Brooke nodded her head; Karen was right, "Haley can bring me home, Nathan... Peyton, can you two tag along?"

Peyton looked to Ellie who had come along to offer support, "Uh, you can make it back alone?"

Brooke had forgotten Ellie was there, "She can come to Peyton, if she doesn't mind hanging out with a bunch of teenagers for a while. I just have to talk to you two for a little bit."

Haley looked up, knowing exactly what Brooke was going to tell them, "Are you sure? Does Lucas know you're telling them?"

Brooke shook her head no, "He doesn't but I want to."

Haley nodded and moved towards Peyton and Brooke, who were still hugging each other, she patted Brooke back and gave Karen and Keith each a hug goodbye. She and Nathan both headed out of the hallway, they had come to the hospital together with Brooke. Brooke broke away from Peyton, "I'll meet you at the apartment." Brooke moved to Karen, hugged her and told her to tell Lucas she loved him if she went to say goodbye once more. She said goodbye to Keith and waved to Ellie, following Nathan and Haley. Peyton and Ellie soon followed suit and exited the hospital.

"Looks like we're having a pow-wow," Peyton commented at the way the group was seated in a circle with pillows all around them.

"Shut up, I did it so I could see you all when I was talking," Brooke told her smacking her arm.

"What's wrong Brooke?" Peyton asked leaning against the couch that was at her back.

"Nothing's wrong, not technically at least. Karen and Haley know already, but before you go all "why did I know first" on me, Haley was there and Luke and I decided to tell Karen together. He has no clue I'm telling you guys. But you are my best friend, so you should know."

"Get on with it," Peyton said.

"Let her do it her way Peyton," Haley said leaning in to Nathan a little.

"And you're his brother Nathan, and my friend, that's why you're here if you're wondering," Brooke said. "Even though it's like freakishly weird that you're like alive, you're my best friends mother and I guess you should know what goes on in her life so counting I'm part of that you ought to know too. Peyton would tell you anyway, so I figure its better you hear it from me."

"Are you dying or something Brooke? Joining a convent? You have to be a virgin to enter one of those so you wouldn't be allowed. What's this about?" Nathan asked.

"Funny you bring up being a virgin," Brooke commented softly, "Since it has to do with that."

"What'd you do?" Peyton said expecting she went off and confessed her sexual sins to a priest and became a secondary virgin or something.

"Give her a second," Haley groaned.

"Thank you," Brooke said with a pause. "You all know Lucas and I are not strangers to sex, after all the basis of our first relationship was sex. But obviously we've grown up and fallen in love, continued to have sex."

"Brooke-" Peyton started, she didn't need to be told things she and Nathan already knew.

"Shut up Peyton," Haley said, not letting her finish.

"Remember I told you Karen caught us right after we finished having sex a month or so ago?" Brooke asked Peyton.

Peyton nodded, "Yeah?"

"Remember I was sick and Haley wouldn't let me visit Luke because she didn't want me to get him sick? We went to the doctor, Haley and I. He drew some blood and ran a few tests to see if I was carrying a contagious illness so I could prove to Haley I'd be fine to go see him. He told me I wasn't contagious, I told you that right?"

Nathan and Peyton both nodded this time.

"Right, I left out a major detail."

"You aren't dying are you?" Peyton asked, restating Nathan's old question.

Brooke shook her head, "No. But I'm having a baby. Lucas and I are having a baby."

Peyton's jaw dropped, she didn't even know what to say. This was huge. Brooke, her best friend, was having a baby… with Lucas. Nathan choked on the water he had started to drink, "Pregnant? A baby? You and Lucas?"

"Yes. A baby, I'm pregnant," Brooke replied with a slow nod.

Ellie, who was sitting on the couch, out of their little 'pow-wow' spoke up, "You're rather calm about the whole thing."

Brooke nodded, "The baby's father is supportive as well as its grandmother. I've had time to process it and we decided we could do it, together."

Peyton started to talk, "Wow. Brooke, this is huge."

"I've talked to Lucas about this as well; we decided it'd be right to christen the baby. Neither of us are heavily catholic, but we want our child to have the option to be, so we're going to. When the baby's older, she or he can decide whether or not being religious is something she or he wants to do. That said, Nathan, since you're Lucas' brother, would be the godfather. We know that normally this type of responsibility should go to a married couple, and Haley is you're wife, but… Peyton," Brooke turned to face her, "You've been there through everything with me, and you'll be getting the responsibility as godmother, if you two will accept that."

Peyton nodded, as did Nathan. Haley had been in the hospital room with Brooke and Lucas when they discussed this. She didn't really understand why they were so worried about it though. Probably because they were so young, worrying about the little things was something they were bound to do during the pregnancy.

"I... gosh Brooke, this is so huge. You're having a baby. Lucas' baby," Peyton said.

Brooke nodded, "I know. It's a lot to handle, but you deserved to know. You'd have figured it out when my stomach got huge anyway. Luckily, we got pregnant in December, making his or her due date in September; we'll be out of school before I start to show majorly"

Peyton lunged at Brooke, wrapping her arms around her, "Congratulations Brooke, you seem so happy."

Brooke smiled, "Surprisingly, I am. It's a baby Lucas and I can love."

The two best friends sat on the floor in a hug. Nothing could bring Brooke down from the high she was feeling at that very moment in time.

Note: The more reviews, the faster I update. This is going to be a long story, I've got a lot planned in this little brain of mine.